Smoke detectors won't stop random beeping.

[GoingUp]

In the last week or so, my smoke dectotors have begun to beep randomly. I notice they seem to beep more frequently when my furnace is on, but they still do it randomly enough to keep me guessing.

I put two brand new batteries in and they still continue to beep. One happens to be next to my main furnace warm air duct into my living area. It has a large filter on it, that's about two years old, so I'm headed to Lowes tomorrow to go buy a new one.

Anyone else have any other ideas of things that I could try?

Edit:I don't smoke at all, and I've hit the reset button on them after I replaced the batteries. I even pulled out the batteries and held down the reset button.

The thing won't beep for a good 12-16 hours, then it will randomly beep. I swear, it knows when I'm in the house because it starts acting up then.

There are two separate dectectors, and as far as I know, they are not linked. One beeps a lot more frequently than the other. 10x more random beeps from one for 1beep of the other.

Edit2: The detectors are only 2 years old.

Edit3: The detectors are all on exernal power with battery backup. I also just replaced my furnace filter as well, so hopefully that will cut down on the dust too. It's beeped a couple of times since I replaced the final battery this morning and furnace filter. Only time will tell if I finally got it.

 

[dighn]

sounds like the detector should be replaced.

although multiple detectors going off... are they linked somehow?

 

[tasmanian]

Have you reset them? Vented your house?

 

[jagec]

If they get dusty inside, they can do that. Try opening 'em up and hitting them with a can of compressed air.

Or, stop smoking inside.

 

[GoingUp]

I don't smoke at all, and I've hit the reset button on them after I replaced the batteries. I even pulled out the batteries and held down the reset button.

The thing won't beep for a good 12-16 hours, then it will randomly beep. I swear, it knows when I'm in the house because it starts acting up then.

Edit: There are two separate dectectors, and as far as I know, they are not linked. One beeps a lot more frequently than the other. 10x more random beeps from one for 1beep of the other.

 

[sniperruff]

nvm

 

[bctbct]

make sure they are not carbon monoxide detectors

 

[pyonir]

Originally posted by: Gobadgrs
I don't smoke at all, and I've hit the reset button on them after I replaced the batteries. I even pulled out the batteries and held down the reset button.

The thing won't beep for a good 12-16 hours, then it will randomly beep. I swear, it knows when I'm in the house because it starts acting up then.

Edit: There are two separate dectectors, and as far as I know, they are not linked. One beeps a lot more frequently than the other. 10x more random beeps from one for 1beep of the other.

This is the point when i take them off the wall and throw them out. Then hope i just smell smoke if something catches on fire.

 

[FoBoT]

just buy new ones, they don't cost too much

 

[Kaervak]

If they're (close to) 10 years old, replace them. Smoke detectors only have a 10 year service life.

 

[GoingUp]

Originally posted by: Kaervak
If they're (close to) 10 years old, replace them. Smoke detectors only have a 10 year service life.

They're only 2 years old.

 

[BigJ]

Are these only battery powered? Or are they hard wired with a battery backup?

 

[GoingUp]

Originally posted by: BigJ
Are these only battery powered? Or are they hard wired with a battery backup?

Well I took the battery out and could still set them off, so it appears battery backup and hard wired.

 

[BigJ]

Originally posted by: Gobadgrs

Originally posted by: BigJ
Are these only battery powered? Or are they hard wired with a battery backup?

Well I took the battery out and could still set them off, so it appears battery backup and hard wired.

Have you tried replacing all the batteries in the alarms in the house, or just these two? If only the two, I would recommend replacing the others also.

If there's a central panel (for example, the detectors are wired into an alarm system), you might want to look at that.

Another thing you could try doing is throwing the breaker that the smoke alarms are on to reset the entire system. Do that for a minute and see if it clears things up.

 

[Captante]

Some detectors will beep periodically if they detect low levels of smoke or carbon-monoxide, however the only times I've actually experienced it myself it was one of the following:

(1) Failure of either hard-wired AC or battery power supply.

(2) Failure of the alarm to reset after being set off by a small grease fire in the kitchen.

(3) Buildup of dust & grease causing some kind of short/fault in the detectors which required its being replaced.

Based on your description (and assuming you're certain they arn't Carbon-Monoxide dectecters) my guess is its number 3 & your on the right track replacing them.

 

[jagec]

Since no one read what I posted, here it is again. Do this before you throw them out:

Originally posted by: jagec
If they get dusty inside, they can do that. Try opening 'em up and hitting them with a can of compressed air.

 

[BigJ]

Originally posted by: jagec
Since no one read what I posted, here it is again. Do this before you throw them out:

Originally posted by: jagec
If they get dusty inside, they can do that. Try opening 'em up and hitting them with a can of compressed air.

I read it, just didn't feel like restating it

 

[AlienCraft]

Originally posted by: BigJ

Originally posted by: jagec
Since no one read what I posted, here it is again. Do this before you throw them out:

Originally posted by: jagec
If they get dusty inside, they can do that. Try opening 'em up and hitting them with a can of compressed air.

I read it, just didn't feel like restating it

QF duh

 

[GoingUp]

Originally posted by: AlienCraft

Originally posted by: BigJ

Originally posted by: jagec
Since no one read what I posted, here it is again. Do this before you throw them out:

Originally posted by: jagec
If they get dusty inside, they can do that. Try opening 'em up and hitting them with a can of compressed air.

I read it, just didn't feel like restating it

QF duh

I'm gonna take the vacuum to them shortly here.

 

[Captante]

Originally posted by: jagec
Since no one read what I posted, here it is again. Do this before you throw them out:

Originally posted by: jagec
If they get dusty inside, they can do that. Try opening 'em up and hitting them with a can of compressed air.

Sorry ... I should have mentioned that I tried to clean mine out several different ways before chucking them but in my case it didn't work.

 

[ScottMac]

Just change the friggin' batteries. Even if they're AC powered, when the batteries get low, they'll chirp as a "low battery" warning.

 

[HomeBrewerDude]

Originally posted by: ScottMac
Just change the friggin' batteries. Even if they're AC powered, when the batteries get low, they'll chirp as a "low battery" warning.

 

[runzwithsizorz]

In less than a year after moving into our brand new home, the smoke detectors would do the same thing. They were wired together, so if one went off they all did, and more often than not, in the middle of the night. The builder admitted that they were cheap, and defective, and replaced all 9 of them, haven't heard a peep since.
Key words here; CHEAP, and DEFECTIVE

 

[91TTZ]

Originally posted by: ScottMac
Just change the friggin' batteries. Even if they're AC powered, when the batteries get low, they'll chirp as a "low battery" warning.

From his post:

"I put two brand new batteries in and they still continue to beep."

 

[bignateyk]

Did you replace the batteries in every single smoke detector in your house? If one of them gets low on batteries, they will all start randomly beeping.

Also, it could be that one of them is not being supplied with external power, which would cause it to eat through batteries at a very quick rate. I had that happen to me.